A Department of Natural Resources gathering Friday in Bloomington with key stakeholders and Sarah Strommen, the agency's commissioner, detailed an ambitious $118 million onetime request Gov. Tim Walz is seeking from the state's surplus to repair and replace aging boat accesses, fish hatcheries and other outdoor-recreation infrastructure.
The 400 attendees at the DNR Roundtable welcomed the news, though some noted similar proposals were made last year, with no money appropriated.
This legislative session, however, the DFL controls both the House and the Senate, and Minnesota's surplus has ballooned to more than $17 billion. So the ask from the state's general fund is expected to receive a warmer welcome than it did a year ago, when many Republicans were cool to the idea.
